Separation anxiety manifests itself in varying degrees. The symptoms can be very subtle and escalate quickly if not addressed. I do believe that some dogs suffer from post-traumatic stress as well. Combine the two, and you may come home to something like this. These photos show the pure panic of a dog who was lost after the passing of the other dog in the family.
Emotional instability in dogs is as real as it is in humans. They don’t have words for what they are feeling - nor do we. It’s important to understand their behavior from a dog’s perspective and to treat them accordingly. There is a trigger, a memory, a perceived fear, that can be extremely challenging to pinpoint (if we ever can).
Here’s a great article from the Humane Society regarding Separation Anxiety. If you have any questions or are concerned your dog is demonstrating symptoms of either separation anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, please contact me for assistance.
I was sitting outside tonight as it finally cooled down. I was snacking on some nuts and had one of my dogs with me. It’s good to spend time with your dogs individually as they each have different personalities. It’s easy to miss the differences if they are always viewed as a pack.
As I snacked on almonds, my curious dog was anxiously awaiting my either dropping one or voluntaringly giving her one. I gave her an almond. One, small, dry almond and she acted like it was the best treat she ever received. She took it and ran off with her tail-a-waggin’. She set it down, sniffed it, and then slowly picked it up and chewed.
An almond. She brought me to the moment. Watching her savor this treat reminded me of how simple a “treat” can be. I gave her a few more as I slowed down my eating so that I too could enjoy every bite. Want to live in the moment and enjoy every “treat” life gives you. . .learn from your dog.
If you have seen the recently released, delightful, fun-loving movie “Up,” then you know about the Cone of Shame. You will also know of it if you have had a dog spayed, neutered, or if for any reason you need to keep their head away from other parts of their body. When donning the cone, dogs do seem to be embarrassed or at a minimum very aware of their limitations.
Here’s Fletcher wearing the Cone of Shame. What makes it so funny is this is how I found him one morning. He didn’t need to wear it and must have been testing it out. He managed to put it on before realizing it won’t come off! You can imagine how the other dogs and I laughed. Perhaps it was his way of humbling himself or to make the real wearer of the cone feel better.
In a previous post, I wrote about dogs needing other dogs. In the following video, you will watch my two labradoodles play fight. A human can never play with a dog like another dog. Not only are they having fun, they are also communicating with one another (in more ways than depicted by the comic bubbles).
It is common to hear dog trainers using the word of a command in the praise that follows the desired response. For example, when a dog first learns to sit, the command is reinforced with “good sit.” The same applies to all of the basics - down, stay, leave-it, etc. It gets a little cumbersome to continue this when they do something like “get out of the kitchen.” Saying good “get out of the kitchen” just doesn’t work the same!
Some days with kids, it is good to get away from constant correction and try to see what they are doing right (or what is pleasing to the ever-knowing adult). I used to try this when my nieces and nephew were small. It takes some practice.
I decided that dog parents should try this too. Create a day or half day or if you have a puppy, maybe just a few hours where you don’t constantly say things like stop, no, or don’t. I am doing it this morning and it brings an ease to living with dogs. I have said things like “good tissue eating,” “good nervous barking,” “thank you for finding the paper in the recycle basket,” and “good finding that a dog bed is nothing but a huge, overstuffed chew toy.”
See how easy it is. Take a moment and think of ways to use “good” and see if your dog smiles as they realize it’s going to be a GREAT day!
Does your dog counter surf? You know - carefully grabs things off the counter, i.e., food, or anything remotely smelling of something to eat? If you’re not there to catch them in the act, what good is the “leave it” command.
It is like they have learned the fun of getting a bit of a thrill for doing something and not getting caught in the act. They are beginning to understand the words of the trainer that says, “it’s too late to correct after the fact.” I think they like those words of advice.
So you will feel at ease, it even happens in my home. The other day, I was fixing some toast and left the kitchen for a second (maybe three) and returned not noticing that anything had mysteriously disappeared from the counter. I looked up to see Violet acting a bit weird. She was holding her head down slightly and just walking slowly around. I walked over asking if she was okay. . .well, it hit me that she was carefully holding something in her mouth that she didn’t want me to see. I said “drop it” and out came a cube of butter!
Meat I could understand, but butter? It shows you that they have no clue what they’re grabbing, but if it’s a part of food preparation, it must be eatable. Drop it came easy given what was in her mouth. If it had been a piece of meat or cheese, releasing it may have been more of a challenge.
How do you stop counter surfing? Keeping the dogs out of the kitchen is a good place to start. There are also products called “scat mats” that you can put on the counter that will either make a tone or give a static correction when touched. There are also small devices that sense the heat and movement of the dog and will make an ultrasonic sound that deters the dog.
For those of you with little dogs, you can smile at your dog because you know at least that’s one behavior you won’t have to correct.
If you need help with your dog’s manners, please send a note in the box to the right!
Dogs that are trained to provide a service for someone are amazing. Their training takes many years and some learn hundreds of commands in order to assist their human.
I have to admit that my dogs would need to wear the vest that reads “out of service.” Actually, they all serve a purpose, even if it may change from day to day. One of my dogs definitely provides a much-needed service. If asked what service he provides, I can say proudly that he is a comedian. He provides daily humor.
Another dog is in service to assist others in patience and understanding. She is afraid of everyone other than me and needs constant reassurance that no one will hurt her (ever again.) Some of the dogs I see walking down the street with their human, are obviously in service by promoting exercise and strong arm muscles.
In or out of service, our dogs are always contributing something to the family - even if we have to take a moment to think what that is. What service does your dog provide?
I can’t answer this question. I know from personal experience that having one dog for many years was wonderful. I only had to focus on our relationship, and I was working non-stop at the time, so she received a lot of guilt-time! The thought of another dog, just didn’t seem fair to either of them.
Dealing with dog obedience and behavior modification on a daily basis has taught me a lot. A lot of the behavior modification training I benefit from is by observing the dogs - my dogs. I have a pack. There’s no way around that. They aren’t wild. They listen and respond to me; however, they are given a lot of opportunity to show me who they are while living together day to day.
We can take our dogs for long walks. They love it. We can take them on car rides and almost everywhere we go. They love it. We put their natural abilities to the test with agility training. They love it. We, however, can’t play like another dog. Ever see a child when they see another child and they light up with a recognition that says - “hey, your a kid too!” Dogs do that. Try though we might (in the privacy of our home) to romp and tease like another dog. We don’t come close. Nor is this a goal I need to fulfill in my lifetime.
I say all of this because for all that we do, dogs love dogs. I know that some are saying emphatically, “my dog doesn’t like other dogs!” That may be the case now, but in the real land of dogs before they were our pets, they liked other dogs or at least worked things out with a nice compromise on who was who in the pack.
Should this be of concern to the one-dog families? Probably not. I just wanted to share this because it’s pure entertainment to watch dogs play. Showing and gnashing of teeth, growling and the puppy bow. . .it’s all a part of who they are and we’ll never train it out of them. Nor, do I want to.
It’s Memorial Day. The day set aside to honor those who have lost their lives while serving in the military. Most of us know of someone who has been in the service and while it’s always the right time - this is the designated time - to remember them.
I thought it also important to honor the four-legged members of the armed service. Some were in active duty serving along side soldiers providing unshakable support. Some dogs were adopted and provided comfort as pets, and others supported the military in a different way - as mascots.
